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Ontarians who want to be able to purchase alcohol in their corner stores will be crying in their beer — bought, of course, from The Beer Store or LCBO.

Convenience store companies argue the public is ready for more variety in their private alcohol retailers, but the Ontario government says the province is well-served by the current model.

Susie Heath, a spokesman for Finance Minister Charles Sousa, said the LCBO provides $1.6 billion a year in revenue to the provincial government that helps pay for hospitals, schools and other public services.

“Our system is long-established and strikes the right balance between consumer access and social responsibility,” Heath said in a statement Thursday.

Tom Moher, vice-president of central Canada operations for Mac’s Convenience Stores Inc., told a Toronto Sun editorial board Wednesday that the sector has experience selling age-restricted products such as tobacco and is ready for the added responsibility of alcohol.

A survey carried out on behalf of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association (OCSA) revealed that corner store staff were more effective than employees at either the LCBO or The Beer Store in keeping restricted products out of the hands of minors, Moher said.

Heath pointed to a study done by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) of students in Grades 7 to 12 last year that says youngsters more easily accessed cigarettes from corner stores than alcohol from liquor or beer stores.

Progressive Conservative MPP Vic Fedeli said the province already has private alcohol retailers in The Beer Store, a monopoly owned by three international brewers.

Although the Tories support the expansion of alcohol sales to convenience and grocery stores, Fedeli said he doesn’t expect it to be a big issue in the next provincial election.

”I think people want their skyrocketing hydro rates brought into line, people want lower taxes and people want the red tape cut — I think those are the three issues that will be front and centre in the election,” he said.